PGTS Humble Blog

Thread: General/Opinion

All you need is "Love"

Chronogical Blog Entries:

Date: Tue, 01 Aug 2017 19:38:00 +1000

Recently, the following correspondence arrived in my inbox.

Dear Gerry,

For 30 years, I served as the head of St Vincent's Hospital Alcohol and
Drug Service in Sydney.

I have treated many thousands of patients trying to rebuild their lives
in the face of alcohol and drug problems. Many have been victims of sexual
abuse, violence from family members, or other devastating trauma - and most
are already living on the margins of society.

That's why I'm stunned by the government's plan to strip people with
alcohol and drug problems of income support payments. [1]

Thirty years of experience, backed by research from all over the world,
tells me that you can't punish people into recovery. In fact, pushing people
into poverty only serves to undermine their chance of recovery - and puts
lives at risk.

Over the coming weeks, Parliament will vote on whether to implement
mandatory drug testing. Doctors, nurses and allied health workers - determined
to protect patients - are speaking out against the changes.

Will you stand with us to ensure dignity and compassion for people
struggling with alcohol and drug problems? Alex Wodak

Prime Minister Turnbull assures us that the proposal to strip people of
income support payments is "based on love". [2] That's a hard thing to swallow
given his government's failure to consult with addiction medicine experts and
lack of evidence to support the trials.

Mandatory drug testing has already been trialled and abandoned in
multiple countries around the world. It's a failed policy that violates our
professional commitment to do no harm. This government is forcing doctors to
make an impossible choice - to break the law or to hurt our patients.

I've seen with my own eyes how medical treatment of people struggling
with severe alcohol and drug problems must be guided by compassionate care and
respect for their human rights.

Call on the government to stop playing political games with people's
lives: https://www.getup.org.au/help-not-harm-petition

Sincerely,

Dr Alex Wodak

President, Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation

References:

[1] Drug testing welfare recipients is not about love, Malcolm Turnbull,
it's about punishment, The Guardian, 11 May 2017

Update 2017-12-06: The Turnbull government dropped its plans to
implement the above reforms because it was unable to get them through the
Senate. Could Getup's campaign have contriuted to this failure?